Facilitation of Stakeholder Engagements for the Development of an Outcome Harvesting Framework for the National Cohesion Initiative (NCI) of Somalia’s National Transformation Plan (NTP)
Facilitating participatory stakeholder engagement to develop a practical, evidence-based Outcome Harvesting Framework for Somalia’s National Cohesion Initiative.
Project Information
HURMA Consulting supported the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation (MOIFAR), Federal Government of Somalia, with funding from UNDP Somalia, to facilitate stakeholder engagements for the development of an Outcome Harvesting Framework for the National Cohesion Initiative (NCI) under Somalia’s National Transformation Plan (NTP).
The assignment focused on establishing a practical, participatory and evidence-based approach for identifying, documenting, validating and analysing changes emerging from national cohesion, peacebuilding, reconciliation and related governance interventions.
The stakeholder engagement process in Mogadishu brought together relevant government institutions and national stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of outcomes, evidence and contribution, while strengthening ownership of the emerging framework.
Scope of the Assignment
The assignment focused on strengthening the NCI’s ability to move beyond activity and output reporting towards systematic identification and documentation of actual changes and outcomes.
- Identification of intended and unintended outcomes emerging from NCI interventions
- Documentation of significant changes in national cohesion and social cohesion
- Identification and assessment of evidence supporting reported outcomes
- Verification and validation of outcomes with relevant stakeholders
- Analysis of stakeholder contributions to observed changes
- Linking harvested outcomes with NCI and NTP objectives
- Strengthening learning, reflection and adaptive management
- Establishing a practical basis for outcome-level reporting and performance measurement
Stakeholder Engagement Process
HURMA facilitated participatory stakeholder engagements in Mogadishu designed to bring together different institutional perspectives and experiences relevant to national cohesion.
The process enabled stakeholders to:
- Reflect on changes emerging from national cohesion interventions
- Identify significant outcomes and the actors contributing to those outcomes
- Examine evidence and sources that could substantiate reported changes
- Discuss intended and unintended outcomes
- Validate and refine harvested outcomes
- Identify gaps in existing monitoring and evidence systems
- Establish a common understanding of outcome harvesting principles and processes
- Provide technical inputs into the development of the NCI Outcome Harvesting Framework
Outcome Harvesting Framework
A central focus of the assignment was the development of a practical Outcome Harvesting Framework that enables the NCI to systematically capture and analyse changes rather than focusing exclusively on planned activities and outputs.
The framework provides a structured approach covering:
- Outcome Identification – What changed?
- Outcome Description – What was the nature and significance of the change?
- Evidence Collection – What evidence demonstrates that the change occurred?
- Verification & Validation – How can the outcome be confirmed?
- Contribution Analysis – Who contributed to the change and how?
- Significance Assessment – Why does the outcome matter for national cohesion?
- Learning & Reflection – What can be learned from the change?
- Reporting & Adaptation – How should the findings inform future NCI programming?
Alignment with the NCI and NTP
The Outcome Harvesting Framework was developed to support the National Cohesion Initiative of Somalia’s National Transformation Plan, providing an outcome-focused mechanism for understanding and demonstrating progress towards national cohesion objectives.
The stakeholder engagement and outcome-harvesting process considered changes relating to:
- National and social cohesion
- Peacebuilding and reconciliation
- Conflict prevention and resolution
- Grievance management and redress
- Community and citizen engagement
- Institutional collaboration
- Trust and relationships between stakeholders
- Inclusion and participation
- Peace and stability outcomes
Key Deliverables
- Stakeholder engagement and consultation sessions in Mogadishu
- Facilitated outcome identification and reflection processes
- Consolidation and analysis of stakeholder inputs
- Identification and documentation of emerging NCI outcomes
- Outcome verification and validation processes
- Outcome Harvesting Framework for the National Cohesion Initiative
- Practical guidance for outcome documentation and evidence collection
- Recommendations for integrating outcome harvesting into NCI monitoring, learning and reporting
- Technical support for strengthening the NCI’s outcome-level performance measurement approach
Practical Outcome Harvesting Tools
A key feature of the assignment was the emphasis on making outcome harvesting practical and operational rather than a purely conceptual monitoring approach.
The process supported approaches and tools for outcome identification, outcome statements, evidence documentation, stakeholder contribution analysis, outcome verification, significance assessment, learning and reporting.
These provide a foundation for systematically documenting what changed, for whom, how the change occurred, what evidence demonstrates the change, and how NCI interventions contributed to it.
Expected Contribution
The consultancy was designed to strengthen the NCI’s capacity to demonstrate meaningful changes and outcomes associated with national cohesion interventions.
By combining stakeholder engagement, participatory reflection, evidence collection and outcome harvesting, the assignment provides a foundation for stronger results-based learning, adaptive management, accountability and evidence-informed decision-making under Somalia’s National Transformation Plan.